Great video! The members of the China riders forum recommend replacing the motor mount bolts with grade 8 or higher. They also recommend changing the front axle, rear axle and the swing arm bolt with actual Honda Grom pieces. Keep the videos coming!
i love that everyone complains about the neutral gear but not a single one of you tried adjusting the tension on the clutch cable which makes it shift and go into gear like butter.
this is a great video, i do want to mention though for all the people watching this and thinking about buying the bike: this guys version is the 2019 boom vader gen 1 (125-15), even though its 2019 its the GEN 1 version from this company. They have since made a GEN 2 model that is titled "BOOM VADER SR6 GEN 2 125CC" also on some sites listed as 125-10. the main differentiating factor is the headlight, GEN 1 is a big round bulbous looking headlight while GEN 2 is two rectangular shaped headlights. the bikes (and any china bike) have the same maintenance and prep out of box though - you want to instantly oil swap, if you can you should do a carb swap and tune it, if not swap for sure just tune the stock one. remove the saftey emissions air box crap you dont need unless your in california -- and if you are in california DONT buy this bike because it will run lean with the california carb approval tuning and seem like a bunk bike. doing the oil change, carb swap/tune and airbox delete are the must do basic changes to make this bike really come alive and have a chance to hit 50mph. to my knowledge the websites will all say the bikes have the same engine but on all the china rider forum pages and the cult fan clubs for this bike say they are different and GEN 2 will have far less problems than GEN 1. and parts for both models are cheap as heck, GEN 2 will be easier because you can use almost 90% of all cosmetic parts from the honda grom. GEN 1 you cant. thanks for reading, safe riding, and have fun wrenching! bought my GEN 2 recently and am waiting for it to arrive -- very excited. also, everyone who has this bike says kronik racing is garbage, if you do get it go with venom motorsports or belmonte bikes website. also worth noting you can get the red or blue one on amazon. if youre looking for a cheap bike to have fun and rip around on this is great, if you want something for a city commuter and more purpose oriented look at the lifan kp mini 150cc. only a bit more price wise but overall the better option.
Let me know if yours comes with a lifan engine..Mine has a baodiao.. I was told they switched form lifan to baodiao and then back again. I got the crappy baodiao one :(...also you should totally document it and do a full wrench video!
I got mine from venom...not so reliable and I think most of these bikes come from the same manufacturer in China. I wish they were open about that too. You only realize that when you get the actual title.
Hey man, great video! Appreciate the honest review. My friend and I just ordered a couple Vader X20’s (basically the Vader gen 2) and I plan on filming a lot of the initial break in and modifications for my channel. Looks like these bikes are well worth the money if you enjoy wrenching and getting creative. Can’t wait for that truck to arrive!
That was the best damn video explaining the expectations of a chinese Grom clone i have seen on the internet man!! keep up the great work man . your channel will grow as im trying to Grow mine!
This is what I mean when I tell people I want a gram clone they think I’m stupid it’s just I can’t afford the real one I can be just as happy with this bike as the real one
@@itsjustjunk okay understood but I'll help you understand the economy and the world you're living in today people are super desperate they have no way to make money and they only have a few things to sell their car or their motorcycle so when you see one for 2500 no one's actually paying that price you offered him 1,500 before you get there if they say no go to someone else or offer to Grand or 1,800 and show up and give him 1500 it's called negotiating sorry I had to put it like that but a lot of people are very dense and Clueless
@@jaredrenfro7933 I'm alive, but was down the whole summer. Broke my wrist and elbow. Kept being told the little hitch I thought I felt was normal. Thing still ran and shifted, the clutch just wouldn't disengage at all no matter what you did. My electric clone however has been pretty solid. Only thing I've broken on it is the fork seals and the crappy plastic tank cover. If you downshift and you feel it catch or lock the tire at all while shifting, discard of that bike.....
That was after the crash btw. Bike worked "normally" up until. Pulled the lever at the engine and still wouldn't disengage so it was something broken inside. One of my grom buddies took it apart and couldn't find anything loose, so who knows what's wrong for sure. My real grom however has had no issues.
I ended up adding a hydraulic clutch to get a better feel for neutral. Works way better than the cable that kept stretching. Already had to replace multiple parts like fuel level sender, speed sensor and I keep getting a rattling noise over 4k rpm. But it's been a fun little bike to work on.
Every one, this bike is extremely easy to steal. The bike is light weight and easy to lift in a truck. Put a GPS on the bike and lock it up. Some one stoled mine after i fully upgraded the whole bike. This bike is just to cool for the streets.
I have a brand new 2020 Honda Grom with a bunch of performance mods. I ran to a party store. I parked at the side of the building. There was a old guy in a pickup checking it out. No big deal, these little bikes draw a lot of attention. I ran it, grabbed a pop and ran out and the old guy was backing his truck up to my bike. He was watching me like a hawk. I sat on the bike, geared up and he took off. I now park between the building and barriers. If I ever have to leave it anywhere, I am going to use a 14mm through hardened chain and lock. Grinders can still defeat it but it makes it a pain in the ass. Keep full coverage. I pay $230 per year for full coverage with new model replacement, $3k in gear coverage and $3k in accessories coverage! Cheap and gives a little peace of mind.
I just bought a CSC RX3 250. It's at 500 miles after 2 months. An unbelievably solid ride for the money. Compliments everywhere I go. The CSC people are amazing.
A month to change a timing chain that ultimately blows a rod mean you need a good mechanic and should stick to oil changes. Maybe oil changes at best. That said, credit for trying.
Well there was a reason It took so long. I was working a full-time job and was fixing my car in my apartment parking-lot at the time...I didn't have and engine hoist or a place to put the engine, If I had removed it from the car. In other-words I had to do all the work without taking the engine out. There wasn’t allot of room for a wrench and I couldn’t afford to strip anything. I had to take everything connected to the serpentine belt off one by one so I could remove the timing cover. I couldn't access all the timing components with the oil-pan on which meant I couldn’t rely on supporting the engine from the bottom. I ended up using a rope to support the engine from the frame of the car while I swamped the timing components. Off course after I did that I had to put everything back together again with the same amount of tight space. I later found out after taking the old engine out that the mechanics miss diagnosed it. It didn’t need a new timing chain it had valve issues. That's why it was so devastating when I found out the second one had vale problems. Things ended well thou. I cleaned out the vales with that marvel magic oil and actually ended up selling the car last week :)
wow great in depth, bike is cheap, but i think i'll buy a real Grom instead. I need reliablility, and i have no experience fixing bikes...even trying to get help online is always harder cause a lot of people aren't good teachers..
Yeeeah my clone could of killed me, the throttle cable was jammed in between some weird area behind the forks and this bike would throttle itself when turning right...I had a small crash into the side of the house, I was terrified. My first bike, I already have a brain condition. I can't believe they don't at the very least test ride these bikes to make sure they're safe. I trusted the reviews which I'm now convinced they payed people to write....Had I been riding on the actual street with no experience.....I could of died. I tried selling it but would get nothing but low ball offers(btw fixed the throttle issue), and I've been paying off debt so can't afford anything else. I've finally gotten fed up and decided to make this a more reliable bike......It's been a full year. Just please fully check out your clone before taking it on the road, especially if you've never ridden before.
Well now i know why it is tough to go to neutral to 1st and to shift the gears, i have to keep riding until the gears adjusts. I just bought a 2020 boom 125-10 and i love her. It is hard to go from 1st gear to neutral.
@@972CHENZO i had to do a $180 tune up and upgrade the Carburetor and a spark plug and tightened the whole bike because the engine parts were loose and the chain was loose. Now it rides perfect!
@@Nick_Ramirez89 bad ass! Yea I keep seeing to add loctite to all the bolts. Have you had issues with engine mounts at all? And have you had to upgrade any of the bolts?
@@972CHENZO I upgraded the carburetor because it wasn’t getting enough gas, i had all the bolts tightened because they did a mickey mouse job when the putted the bike together and i did a oil change, take out that cheap oil. You gotta spend money and upgrade the bike. This will be my 2nd week riding the bike. The bike needed work done on it right away to. Upgrade the battery to, don’t be cheap with the upgrades.
Define "mechanically inclined". The main reason I ask this is the elastic band on the kick stand. As opposed to a mechanics resolve, that is more like a house wife fix.
Mechanically inclined as in, someone who would feel comfortable changing a carburetor....and yeah, I'm sure I'll get around to replacing the kickstand someday.
Just got mine yesterday morning. I was really happy and I said I was, cuz the problems started showing up right away. It doesn’t stay on in idle, hard time to find neutral and to shift to any gear, clutch would not disengage on first plus I gotta give it enough throttle at the same time otherwise it just dies, won’t stay on. I’m in California and starting a new job tomorrow, Monday, morning, I was gonna ride my bike to work, which btw is only 3 miles away from my house, not anymore tho! Don’t wanna have any problems and be late on my first day. Guess I’m gonna have to change, adjust, loctite, replace, grease, etc, everything before I even think to take it out for even such a short commute...this really SUCKS!! Oh well
Tightening the idle screw on the carburetor should get you to idling better! Remember to change the oil if you haven't already! If its not shifting right you might want to try tightening the clutch cable. you should totally document all your wrenching for posterity! BTW where did you buy it from? Ohh and good luck at the new job man!
@Jared Renfro - bought it at Kronik Racing, tho I’ve been reading a bunch of bad reviews about them. Anyway, really awesome info here in this video brother. Just like many guys here on this tread, this is my first bike, but after watching your video I came up with two possibilities: one - sell it and buy a better Chinese brand (can’t afford a Honda or Yamaha etc) two - replace a whole bunch of stuff like the cable clutch, exhaust system, perhaps motor mounts with genuine Honda parts and service the carburetor, change oil, etc as well...I’d really appreciate your opinion bro whenever you get a chance...
therofthew Honestly a Boom Vader is a Boom Vader no matter where you get it. There isn't a company out there, I know of that re-fabs the carburetor, changes the axles, replaces the chain, reinforces the engine mounts, changes the oil, re-welds the faring tabs, replaces the clutch/clutch cable/exhaust and takes the whole bike apart to loctite it back together. 3 miles doesn’t sound like a long commute to be putting on a bike, mabe it won’t break down as fast and give you time to save up for another vehicle. Or overhaul it. I just rode her till she broke down and fixed her up to ride again over and over. If you decide to purchase another Chinese motorcycle I would recommend to stay with lifan. For me this made a good starter bike. I’m not going to put more money into higher quality parts knowing I intend on getting a more powerful bike later. BTW the Honda exhausts need to be modified to fit the Vader if you didn’t already know. Buying a new carb means by passing the stock air-filter. In other words buying after market stuff is kinda hairy. It was just easier for me to keep fixing up the stock parts. I don’t know what the resale value is on these things but is you can get them brand new for a little more that a grand I’m sure its not great. IDK man, I guess just use your best judgment. Sorry I couldn’t be of any more help.
@Jared Renfro - yes I did bro, tho I’m not really driving it everywhere like I would like to, cuz here California cops are assholes most of the time and since I haven’t received my plates yet, and these fools are always looking for any reason to mess with you and I don’t have a bike DL either, I just don’t wanna risk being pulled over, get a ticket or worse, maybe get my first bike taken away. Anyway, it’s working much better after adjusting the carb and cable clutch, but again, it’s not being driven that much. Once a get the plates and I begin driving it daily, well, we will see how it behaves...
Hey, I also bought the Vader and have around 1200-ish miles. No major problems but the chain getting loose in the first 500 mi. No big deal. However, there is gas coming out as you mention at 6:22. How did you resolve the gas coming out? Great and honest review!
First take off the fairings to identify the leak..it could be the tabs that hold the fairings on or it could be the line got sheered..if its the tabs you need to drain the gas and jb weld the tab back on. I will make a video on that soon.. if its the vent line you need merely cut off the sheered portion and re-attach the line..I ensured the connection with a small zip tie...do you have a gen 1 or 2?
The Grom is fuel injected while the boom Vader is carbureted... So combustion wise they are built very different.... Not going to lie in my experience there's almost nothing compatible between the two bikes except for basic things like the chains and the handlebars and crap like that.. but that's what the sellers will always tell you.. they'll tell you oh this year's model doesn't break down as much as last year's model.. and you can always just get parts from Honda.
Thanks! That means allot..There wasn't any full wrench videos when I was researching the bike just assembly videos...I am going to be doing an overhaul video pretty soon I have spent weeks compiling the footage for it. When its done it will be a must watch for this bike.
@@jaredrenfro7933 right on. The funny part is the only reason why I found your video was because I was researching the Lifan 125 motor in the bike. It's a very common motor to put in the Honda atc70's 3 wheeler. Crazy how the paths of two people can cross all because of that huh? Anyways. Good luck and thanks again.
I bought me my boom Vader 2020 and I’ll tell you this .U have to buy this and change the motor,carburetor,and the pipe and u will have a bike better then a Grom
A few of these things cold have deff been avoided. It happens tho, your in the vulnerable position of this being your first bike. You need to make sure you go through every little thing, even with a genuine factory bikes , like a Honda Grom.. But especially with these Chinese bikes. Either way In the end you end up with new knowledge.
I think these bikes are throne together with little quality control. From tire pressure to thread lock and tightening every nut and bolt including changing whatever that is passing for oil inside the engine. Basically reassembling the entire bike properly. I took mine a few steps further and made it a quality bike I would put aside any bike in its class. Check my channel see how to fix the shifting and more. Have a fun and safe apprenticeship and a long journey.
@@jaredrenfro7933Thanks for the reply. 1010mi. but the new piston and cylinder only about ten so far (rain) and dont worry about the trains if yours is doing what mine (and others) was doing, you will get it once your in there and its well worth the trouble.
OK so my tank has leaked 3 different times once was the line that I showed in the video I clipped off the broken part of the line and put it back on the tank with a zip tie for added protection and to make sure that the line didn't sheer again I took an angle grinder and ground off the part of that fairing that damaged the line to begin with. The other 2 leaks were caused by the fairing tabs breaking apparently they were poorly spot-welded and only on one side...slowly tearing a hole on both side of the tank..I ended up jb welding those..I'm going to do another video on that..hope this helps!
Just try to search RUSI MOJO 110 and thats my bike its like a ducati monster mini version . on USA they call it VENOM 125 on thailand they call it GPX125
OK btw the threads are a weak point on the bolt so you want the shank to bare all the weight even if it means a bunch of washers to make that happen. My upper/front bolt shank is 5 inches and the back/lower bolt is 4.5 inches...They have been working for me..Obviously what I am using is much longer than the stock but its been working for me... so there ya go!
Now that I upgraded the engine mounts she doesn't buzz as much as she used to so she's a nice smooth ride.. as far as speed since I upgraded the carburetor she gets 55 to 57 mph..
1995 toyota corolla... $1000 what was gonna break already broke and replaced with better parts. That being said it's still cheaper to run this bike but less temperamental
You are having a few unique issues with you bike in arias that I haven't. That bent axle is probably giving your bike some tracking issues witch will effect handling and my be a problem at some point when it has to come out. You may have to loosen it and create a gap were you could use a sawsall to cut off the more bent side to remove it. Powersports.com can and will come through with any needed parts at least they did for me.
There is actually a funny story to that. Like I said in the video, I engine swapped the car after the first engine threw a connector rod and the Second engine had valve problems. What I didn’t mention in the video is I actually ended up cleaning the valves and the car ran great all the way till the day I sold it. I later became employed as a mechanic and went back to the old engine after developing more confidence in my skills and discovered the old engine never had timing problems to begin with. Like the second engine it to had valve issues. If I had just redone the head It would have been fine. The freaking mechanics I talked to after hearing engine knocking, simply gave me a ridiculous quote for a timing kit. And heck man for that price they mine as well had done the head. Anyways you live and you learn.
It was a Motion Pro 02-0011 be aware I did need to modify the adjustment screw of the clutch lever to accommodate the larger size of the cable. apogee6.com/Motorcycle/pics/notch.png
Also ended up looping her around the front of the bike and drilling an entry hole in the right fairing but she works great! apogee6.com/Motorcycle/pics/loop.jpg
in other words I made a thin cut that allowed me to open the adj-screw housing enough for the cable to fit.. the transmission side fit perfectly without modification!
HA! You bought from Kronik! They're like 5mins from my house!! I got to you vid because they're having a sale on the Boom Vader gen2 for $1050!! I was like DAMN I gotta check this out
The way I see it for just a few extra hundred you can get better parts and still be invested less than half of Grom cost. If I was gonna spend close to 4 grand I'd get a real bike not a Grom. But for under 2 it's worth it, if you're willing to put in a bit of work. I bought it to learn how to work on bikes anyway so it's perfect
Phew, sorry you had all those issues. But still, like you said "cheaper" than fixing a car. I have had the electric version of your boom evader for about a year now. Still going strong. Though it doesn't go as fast as yours probably does. It's good for errands within 20-25 miles. Range is dependent on throttle habits. Just like a gas powered bike. Max speed so far seems to hover around 40-41ish. simple break down. 20mph = 40 miles ( or really close ) , 40mph = 20 miles ( or close ). Got it from the same people you did. Check my channel. I have a video of it. I think after Taxes it was around 1600 or so. But that was due to shipping. They still drop it off in the exact same box as yours. Only difference is it'll be a hub motor. And the controller is where your exhaust would be. Oh and the only downside I've found so far, DO NOT RIDE IN RAIN! The bikes' motor will stop responding until completely dry ( if it even works again ). I was lucky, mine did after drying off for about a day. I'm sure it could've been faster if I'd have used a fan. Keep that in mind also. But so far I've clocked over 1500 miles with little to no issues at all besides what's mentioned in the video, and in this comment.
Thank you so much for this video. This things a piece of junk! Sounds like 3k worth of headaches created by buying A $1200 bike and a bunch of wondering if your bikes gonna run today. Just buy a Grom. ..headache gone. The time you spent working on the bike coulda been time spent out hustle and earning money...For a Japaneeeeeze bike
Great great video. Completely sums it up. This video should come with every Chinese bike sold. Kids and adults by these things haven’t turned a screwdriver in their life and call it the biggest piece of shit. Yes it might be but you could get many years of enjoyment out of these if you were a little bit handy. If not buy a Japanese bike you can’t go wrong in the time you save not fixing it
